This is inspired by Poysyn’s recent thread.
It seems to me that law school is quite popular in America, despite the costs, but in America Law is a post-graduate degree. Here in the U.K., Law is an undergraduate degree. Would it make sense for a would-be US lawyer to read Law in the U.K.? Would it ease the process in America?
In Illinois, probably not. Here is rule 715, which sets out the requirements for being admitted to the bar of that state when you have a foreign law degree:
"A lawyer who received his or her legal education and law degree in a country other than the US must meet the following 3 requirements before he or she will be permitted to request permission to sit for the Illinois bar examination.
The lawyer must have been licensed to practice law in the country in which the law degree was conferred and/or in the highest court of law in any US state, territory, or the District of Columbia for a minimum of 5 years;
The lawyer must be in good standing as an attorney or equivalent in that country and/or in any US jurisdiction where admitted to practice;
During each of no fewer than 5 of the 7 years immediately prior to making application in Illinois, the lawyer must have verifiably devoted an annual minimum of 1,000 hours to the practice of the law of such country and/or to the law of any US jurisdiction(s) where licensed.
Unless you satisfy ALL of the foregoing threshold requirements, you are not eligible to apply for permission to sit for the bar examination under Rule 715."
I have seen law schools in the US that don’t require an undergraduate degree. They aren’t exactly well respected and IIRC required at least some undergrad experience. No focusing on US law and legal processes seems like it would result in starting a career deep in a hole and make passing the bar very hard…if you are even allowed to sit for it.
I’d be surprised if they’re accredited. I don’t know all of the ABA’s relevant requirements, but I would wager a small sum of money that a school must admit only students with a bachelor’s degree or higher in order to maintain ABA accreditation. The ABA only recently relaxed its requirement that all applicants to accredited law schools take the LSAT, and then only under very specific circumstances.
Quartz, that’s a really great question and I’m kind of surprised more students don’t look at applying directly to UK law schools. I knew some foreign-educated practitioners during the cup of coffee I had in law school, and they were studying a fourth year (called an LL.M., or master of laws, in the US) as required by New York State’s bar association. That said, there are probably economic concerns for someone who would consider that path.
It might be a good idea for someone who holds dual citizenship, even if intending to practice in the US, but at a WAG I’d imagine moving to a foreign country to study, even to get a few years of extra practice, would be quite risky financially.
One’s on this list and is still accredited…
Gulags: the 10 worst ABA-accredited law schools
It’s in a state that doesn’t require an undergraduate degree to be accepted to the bar. The washout rate in the first year was very high. Maintain at least minimum standards for accreditation, accept almost anyone with a pulse and tuition, and just fail them when they can’t meet the standards. Rinse and repeat. Nobody said it was a good option.
A friend’s sister actually went to it. She was law enforcement and wasn’t actually looking to practice law as a primary career though. She picked them as the only option that fit with her continuing to work full-time because it was local.
Well, ignorance fought. (it was a small sum after all.)